


Euphoria

by LizzieTsumugi



Series: I love you 3000 (Prideshipping) [2]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: M/M, Prideshipping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-09
Updated: 2020-06-09
Packaged: 2021-03-03 18:37:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24620173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LizzieTsumugi/pseuds/LizzieTsumugi
Summary: Euphoria: A state of extreme happiness, sometimes more than reasonable, can be induced by exercise, laughter, music, and romantic love. It is also associated with pain-relieving.
Relationships: Atem/Kaiba Seto, Kaiba Seto/Yami Yuugi, Kaiba Seto/Yami Yuugi | Atem
Series: I love you 3000 (Prideshipping) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1777066
Comments: 1
Kudos: 30





	Euphoria

**Author's Note:**

> Kaiba x Atem, Prideshipping, post-Mai vs. Malik duel.  
> Mai: The card I choose to take from your deck is—Mega Ultra Chicken!  
> Seto: Summonitsummonitsummonit.  
> Mai: And I choose to summon it!  
> Seto: Finally! Geez. 
> 
> I really like talking about Seto and Atem.  
> In my opinion, the time spent leading up to a relationship is more romantic than being in a relationship.

It was impulsive of him to do it, and normally Yami would never do anything so careless, but he had no choice. The last two battles had been horrendous. God’s wrath had no boundaries and a direct attack was a huge toll on both the receiver’s mind and soul.

  
Even Yami Bakura, a man with evil but strong will disappeared after Osiris’s attack, how could he let Ra hit Jounouchi and Mai?

  
Ra’s attack carried the anger from both the God itself and the tomb-keepers. He felt them, such hatred buried beneath the ground, and released within a few seconds. It was like opening up Pandora’s box, with every bit of evil and darkness unleashed on him.

  
And the last thing left in that box was hope.

* * *

Kaiba got involved when everyone else was still calling Mai’s name. To be honest, throughout the duel he was more interested in Ra’s powers rather than some girl’s soul. It’s a jungle up there, the strong ones survive and no one remembers the losers.

  
Until he saw Yugi, yes Kaiba was still trying to understand the concept of two Yugis, throwing himself in between the losers and Ra, and fell to the ground after God faded into Malik’s deck.

  
His first thought was—Yugi cannot die, and the second was, I still haven’t defeated him yet.

  
He was good at finding excuses for his actions, excuses that justified his sentimental behaviors. Kaiba grew up in a world of eat or be eaten, so it was only necessary for him to build a strong exterior to protect himself, and Mokuba as well. Love and friendship weaken people and make them vulnerable and defenseless.

  
Good thing he found an excuse that allowed him to allow his instincts to take over. Kaiba knelt next to his rival, who was still trying to get up, and without any warning, took his blue jacket off in one smooth motion.

Yami jerked when Kaiba pulled off his jacket. The pain on his back was indescribably bad, and Kaiba had obviously made it worse. Luckily Ra the magical creature had managed to burn his back without damaging his clothes through some kind of Ancient Egyptian Gods method, otherwise, it would have been more painful.

He wanted to say something, but Kaiba was in a hurry to take his shirt off.

* * *

Isono brought some wet towels over just as Kaiba rolled Yami’s shirt up, exposing his injuries. Having to take care of both Kaiba brothers, Isono was somewhat trained in the medical field as well. Yami’s injuries were not as back as he thought they were. The skin on his back was burned red, but that means the tissues are still alive. There were a few big blisters, but that’s fixable.

  
He wanted to say something, then he caught his boss’s expression.

  
Seto Kaiba expresses his emotions well, to the point that his opponents could tell how good his hand is just by hearing his laugh. He also has a way to show disbelief, but that’s usually followed by some kind of egotistic comment about how science rules all and magic is not real. It’s rare to see him concerned, worried, or perhaps…sad?

  
But that look on his face was not disbelief nor joy. Kaiba’s eyes were quiet, the excitement he had when Ra appeared had vanished. He bit on his lower lip, as if by doing so, he could have control over himself, without bursting out words from his mouth. It was the calm before the storm.

  
Kaiba was holding Yami’s shirt up with one hand and placed the other next to the patient’s arm. It was clever of him really, that hand was far enough so that he didn’t touch his rival, but close enough so that if he was to fall, Kaiba could easily grab him.

  
Seto-sama really is a nice guy, Isono thought so as he helped Yami onto a stretcher. Kaiba stood still as the doctors rushed away. There were enough medical staff to treat both Mai and Yugi, the charade of friends followed them.

  
The arena was quiet again, so he turned around.

  
Malik stood behind him, his face twisted with excitement and pleasure. Neither of them said a word, both knew the battles that lie before them, a clash of Titans, fueled by God’s wrath.

  
He wanted to duel Malik right here, right now, and for the first time since battle city began, he felt like this isn’t about the God cards anymore.

* * *

“I’m alright, you guys should really go check on Mai.” The doctors on board examined his burns and gave some lotions as needed. Yami laid on his stomach and smiled at Anzu. Battle city was too much for her, having to see Jounouchi and Yugi face-off in a deathmatch, losing Bakura, seeing Jounouchi struck by lightening, now Mai is unconscious and Yugi is injured. She values friendship more than anything in the world, and nothing hurts more than seeing her friends suffer.

  
Anzu took her eyes off Yami’s back and looked into his eyes: “Yugi…is he…”

  
“Don’t worry about it,” the nameless Pharaoh reassured her, “Aibo is doing just fine, I won’t trade places with him until the pain goes away.”

  
It is Yugi’s body after all, but the pain was caused by him, it should only be his burden to bear.

  
Anzu was quiet. She was never a duelist and wanted her friends to be safe above all else. She cared so much, for both of them. It was difficult for her to say anything at this point, so Yami spoke again: “I’m worried about Jounouchi-kun and Mai, will you check on them for me?”

  
It was obvious that she wanted to stay, but Otogi placed his hand on her shoulder and gave her a nod. Anzu stood up and followed him out, neither of them said a word.

* * *

Yami wanted to relax. There was only one duel left, between Kaiba and the eighth duelist, and he wanted to be there to see it. The eighth duelist’s identity remains unknown, and based on the previous three duels, it was only fair for him to be concerned.

  
He knew that battle city was not going to be a walk in the park from the start. It’s not that he never fought deathmatches before, but he didn’t think his memories carried so much hatred.

  
Darkness lurks in the shadows, and he truly thought with his strength, he could fight off all evil. The nameless Pharaoh had no memories, but he was confident, confident that he could protect both himself and aibo, and finally learn who he really is.

  
He underestimated the darkness. The darkness had no limits, it engulfs everyone who stood by his side. This time it was Mai, last time it was Bakura, what if it’s Jounouchi? Honda? Anzu? Or even aibo?

  
For the first time since battle city began, Yami was afraid to continue.

  
He was a Pharaoh, a King. A King treasures his subjects and friends; a King holds power and responsibility; a King loves all and is vulnerable because of it; a King walks alone in the road of war.

  
Who was it that said this? His mind paused when he thought of the word “alone.”

* * *

It really wasn’t a difficult question, there is only one person he knows who likes to be alone.

  
He thought of Kaiba. The last time they dueled, the crazy billionaire was about to jump off a cliff trying to save his brother’s life. He had fought many duelists thereon, but none of them had the determination as Kaiba did that day.

  
It was for Mokuba, he was fighting for Mokuba and was prepared to die for his brother.

  
Yami pressed his head against the pillow. Despite all else, maybe his greatest rival is not so different from him after all.

  
The pain on his back was starting up again, traveling all the way down. The doctors said his injuries were only superficial, but Ra’s power was beyond what modern medicine could comprehend. He could feel the burn in his spine, stimulating every nerve in his body and paralyzing him in the process.

  
The medicines left by the doctors were sitting on the table, only a few steps away from his bed. Yami tried to get up but the pain was so severe that his struggles were futile. After a few attempts the pain only got worse, he let out a groan and fell back into his pillow.

  
Then his door suddenly opened.

* * *

Yami didn’t look up, he thought it was probably Anzu. She always wanted to be by Yugi’s side, regardless of which one. The pain was still there, he could hear his voice shaking when he asked: “Anzu, will you please hand me my medication?”

  
The person who walked in did not say a word, but Yami could hear footsteps approaching, then the rattling of pill bottles and the sound of water being poured into a cup. The visitor was by his bed now, so he mustered the strength to look up, and froze in mid-air.

  
Seto Kaiba hovered over him, holding the pills in one hand and a cup in another. His expression was awkward, obviously not being used to told on what to do, or helping other people in any way shape or form.

  
Yet he stood there, awkward but still confident, like no storm was going to move his presence.

  
It was like when they fought in the tag-duel, Kaiba was not the best partner to have, and sometimes Yami felt like he was fighting three people at once. However, despite all the arguments and bickering, Kaiba stood there confidently, and it brought up his faith.

  
Then he remembered that the God in Kaiba’s hands is Obelisk, the monument that stood against time, piercing the sky and unshaken by the power of darkness. It was

surprisingly fitting.

Like everything was going to be okay.

* * *

“Thanks, Kaiba,” He took the cup and pill from Kaiba’s hands, and nodded at the kind gesture, “I thought you were Anzu when you came in.”

  
“Don’t read too much into it,” it was a typical response from him, “just thought I’d pay you back for showing me the power of Ra.”

  
It wasn’t me who dueled Malik back there. Yami swallowed the sentence back along with his medicine, but Kaiba had an excuse for himself: “That woman’s room is too crowded. Since you guys are so close, take this as my thanks to her.”

  
The air around them was quiet again. It was rare being around Kaiba without having to duel someone or each other. Usually, Kaiba would start with something that trashes everything he believes in, then he would argue back in a way that suggests “let’s agree to disagree but I’m about to show you something so you’ll have to agree.” Kaiba was a man with many abilities, talking about feelings other than anger was not one of them. Talking to Kaiba is like playing a game of chess, and Yami is a cautious man, he wouldn’t make a move without knowing the opponent’s intentions.

  
“Yugi,” his rival spoke again, with a long pause after the name, like he was contemplating something, “what did you think of Ra’s abilities?”

Kaiba didn’t want to leave, but he had no reason to stay, so he made one up.

  
Yami was a man with many abilities, card-playing abilities, but reading between the lines in a non-dueling situation was not one of them.

  
“I think…” he could feel his pain fading away as he begins to concentrate, “if Ra’s attack points depend on the three sacrifices, preventing Malik from summoning higher level monsters would be a start. If he was to have, say three blue eyes as tributes, then Ra’s attack points will be 9000.”

  
Kaiba’s eyes lit up, but honestly, Yami should have known. The young CEO holds a power-deck and dueled with the intention of intimating his opponents before even declaring an attack. Obelisk only holds 4000 attack points, and Osiris’s maximum is 6000, both are nothing compared to Ra. It’s really a number’s game here, and he was intrigued by the thought of controlling a monster with 9000 attack points.

  
Yami read his thoughts easily, and decided to ruin the party in Kaiba’s mind: “You won’t be able to control Ra anyways, you saw what happened to Mai.”

  
The young CEO didn’t like being told what to do, let alone what he cannot do. Yami could see his nose twitch in disdain, and the next sentence was obviously an insult: “She failed because God didn’t choose her. Gods only bow to the ones who are worthy, like me.”

  
There wasn’t much to say from there, Kaiba was action-driven and egotistic, powerful nonetheless. Yami thought back to every encounter they had, how the president of Kaiba corporation always stood like someone ready for war, he enjoyed looking down on people, and walked like a lone wolf, carrying the scent of blood as his white coat fluttered in the wind.

  
Neither of them was good at making small talks, so the atmosphere became awkward again. Yet having Kaiba in the room, despite how taunting some of his comments were, made Yami feel okay. It wasn’t calming or heart-warming, or any similar feelings he had when he’s around aibo or his other friends, but it felt right, it felt like he belonged to something.

  
He’s a lost soul, drifting in the vast world without knowing where to go. Then bam! Seto Kaiba comes in and challenges with, full of pride and all the will to fight.

  
He kept him rooted to the ground.

* * *

Kaiba wasn’t going to stay any longer. Since he’s paid his dues, there was no excuse for him to be here anymore. Despite what the small, yet clear voice in his head is telling him, Seto Kaiba would always remain collected in his own ways. He turned around and headed towards the door.

  
Yami wanted to say something, and by reflex, his first thought was to get up. As he put pressure on his arms and slightly flexed his back, the pain came rushing back. The painkiller’s effect hasn’t kicked in yet, and his motion pulled on the already fragile skin. His mind went blank for a second, sucked a breath of cold air in, and let out a not well-controlled grunt.

  
Not the sound he was hoping to come out of his mouth, but it sure caught Kaiba’s attention.

* * *

People love putting their faith in him, like Mokuba back at the Duel Kingdom, and like aibo who entrusts him with saving grandpa. Yet he was not invincible, despite how proudly he stands, there were times when he stumbled and fell.

  
When Osiris’s wings spread open and it’s roar echoed with his heartbeat, he fell. He thought this was it, Malik’s combo was indestructible, perfect, and flawless. He was a bird trapped in a cage, no matter how hard he fought, there was no way out.

  
Then he heard it. Kaiba’s words were not sentimental, they were like thunder that outpowered Osiris’s cry. His words struck him and raised him up.

  
He was unaware back then by the river bank, but now he realized it. It was something you can see but cannot see. It was hidden under Kaiba’s sharp words all along, gentle and brave, it was his heart.

  
So he sighed in relief and grabbed the pillow.

* * *

“Don’t move.” Kaiba was slightly irritated, his mind was racing, where are those friends of Yugi’s? Shouldn’t they be here doing this? This just proves that friendship is unreliable in these crucial times.

  
He said nothing more, anything else would make this even more awkward for him than it already is. Kaiba dipped his fingers in the jar and quickly rubbed his rival’s back.

  
“Ouch!” If it was Yugi Muto laying there, he would probably burst into tears. Yami turned his head in disbelief. He totally forgot that Kaiba’s motto is “get it done fast.” A great motto for dueling, not for applying cream on a burn victim.

  
“Kaiba, I want to say thank you,” The play-pretend doctor’s touch got gentler, but when his finger brushed against the blisters it was still painful. Yami did not wish to correct him again, “Normally I would do this on my own, but I just can't reach certain places.”

“Hmph,” he could tell Kaiba was trying to control himself, “it would be troublesome if you are in too much pain to duel.”

  
Listen between the lines, he could hear the insincere rival’s heartbeat.

  
So he took another deep breath in. Kaiba’s hands were cold, he could imagine them in his head, the fingers long and thin, perfect for holding cards in between them, amongst other things.

  
They were both quiet, and it’s okay, both of them were men of action rather than words. They communicated through their duel disks. Souls, clashing with every turn, through time and space.

  
It felt right.

* * *

Kaiba stood up when he heard Isono’s voice through the announcements. His face stern and ready for battle.

  
Yami lifted his head up, he could see the fiery spirit in his rival’s eyes, regardless of the terror evil was about to impose on him.

  
The last thing left in Pandora’s box.

  
“Yugi,” Kaiba turned his back before he walked out the door, “I will defeat you, and rip Osiris from your hands. The Duel King’s crown shall be mine.”

  
So Yami smiled back, silently accepting the challenge.

  
Somethings never change, but he had faith in Kaiba. This person could overcome anything, even the barrier between life and death.

  
It was going to be okay.

* * *

“It…doesn’t hurt anymore,” Yami sat up and put his shirt back on.

  
“Really?” Yugi sounded very pleased, “I’m glad you are not in pain anymore, other me.”

  
Yami smiled, he has been in control of this body for too long: “Aibo, I’ll switch over to you, then we can go see Mai and catch Kaiba’s duel.”

“Ouch! Oh, God!” The second they switched, Yugi let out a loud scream, he fell back to the bed and was trying not to cry, “Other me, it hurts so bad.”

  
Yami quickly switched back, his back still felt uncomfortable, but the pain was nowhere as bad as before. In fact, it’s hardly there.

  
“I’m sorry, aibo,” he felt bad for letting Yugi experience the pain, “I had no idea we had such a huge difference in pain tolerance, I’ll stay out here and let you rest then.”

  
Yugi was halfway in tears from the pain, and completely aware of what had happened, but all he did was shake his head and say: “I don’t think pain tolerance is the problem here.”

  
“Then what happened? I don’t really feel any pain.”

  
All Yugi could do was smile.

\---End---


End file.
